by Joe Thompson

I want to use this site to share my knowledge about and interest
in cable cars (also known as cable tramways). I want to keep it
simple. I welcome input from any source, especially about cable
cars in cities other than San Francisco. I hope to build this page
up gradually as time permits. I welcome information, photographs,
and suggestions.

San Francisco's Transportation Octopus, the Market Street Railway of 1893

San Francisco's Transportation Octopus, the Market Street Railway of 1893, a new book by Emiliano Echeverria, Michael
Dolgushkin and Walter Rice, is now available as an Ebook on a DVD. I have written a small review.

San Francisco Cable Cars

You will enjoy Strephon Taylor's new documentary
San Francisco Cable Cars:
"At over 140 years old, the San Francisco Cable Cars are a moving monument, a snapshot of nearly
lost technology, a romance story, and the very heart of the City."

The Feel of the Rope
Reflections on Life at the San Francisco Cable Car Division

I can highly recommend Nick Tomizawa's dvd
The Feel of the Rope:
"a tribute to the men and women that carry on a San Francisco tradition that has continued
for over 130 years. Through the words of employees past and present representing two
generations of operators, managers, maintainers, trainers, and car builders, you will get an
insider's look at what makes the cable cars the most unique transit system in the world."

A detail view of the right-hand side of toy cable car 514, with an
interesting variety of passengers. The lady in the yellow dress is in
danger of a wardrobe malfunction. The man sitting in front of the
gripman appears to be reading Life Magazine. See more collectible items
on my
Cable Car Kitsch page. See toys, magazine ads, and other new items.

The Cable Car Cinema and Cafe showed independent and foreign films at 204 South Main Street
in Providence, Rhode Island from 1976 to 2018. Today it was
announced that the Cinema is closing. It fell victim to the forces that have destroyed so many cinemas across
the country.

Car 26 Becomes 526 - 14-April-2018

Powell Street car 26 ran for a special charter as 526, its number before 1973.
Val Lupiz pulled grip.

Car 11 Debuts in Service - 12-April-2018

Powell Street car 11 made its debut after a rebuilding. It is now painted in Market Street Railroad red.
Val Lupiz pulled grip.

Old Car 28 Going to Connecticut - 03-April-2018

Old Car 28 turns on the motorized turntable in the barn at Washington and Mason before being put away.
A California Street car pulls in behind it. Car 28 would retire the next month.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson. May, 2018 Picture of the Month.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will donate former Powell Street car 28
to the Shore Line Trolley Museum
in East Haven, Connecticut as part of a deal that brought two electric streetcars to San Francisco.
Car 28 was built by Mahony Brothers for the Ferries and Cliff House
Railway in 1887. It was an open car until it was rebuilt in 1912. It retired in January, 2004
and was replaced by the current car 28. There had been talk of restoring it to its orignal
configuration as an open car.

Car 24 Decorated for Opening Day - 03-April-2018

This logo celebrates the Giants' 60th anniversary in San Francisco.

Sixty years ago this year, the San Francisco Giants played their first game against the Los Angeles
Dodgers at Seals Stadium on 15-April-1958. The Giants moved from Manhattan and the Dodgers from Brooklyn during the
offseason. Rubén Gómez started and beat Don Drysdale 8-0. The Giants are celebrating the
anniversary this season.

To celebrate the anniversary, Val Lupiz and Jeremy Whiteman decorated Powell Street car 24,
which was dedicated to Willie Mays, Number 24, on 06-May-2016. Many vintage streetcars carried flags for the event.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight published an interesting column about
how charging the full $7.00 adult fare makes it hard for some tourist families to ride the cable
cars:
Cable Cars’ Ding Goes For Your Wallet, Too

I think a child or family fare would be a good idea, along with a transfer that would allow people to
visit the museum at Washington and Mason without paying another full fare.

San Francisco History Days, 2018 - 03-04-March-2018

The annual San Francisco History Days at the Old Mint returns on March 03-04, 2018.

Western Neighborhoods Project New Home Open House - 03-February-2018

The Western Neighborhoods Project is having an open house between Noon and
4pm to show off its new home at 1617 Balboa Street, between 17th and 18th Avenues.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) wants to end service on the California Street line at
11:45pm instead of 1:00am. This would be a problem for San Francisco residents who work at the hotels and
restaurants around the end of Market Street and live in areas reached by the cable cars. District Supervisor
Aaron Peskin will fight the proposal. The change may not be legal because the city charter says that cable
car must maintain 1971 levels as a minimum. There is a debate about what the hours of service were in 1971.

Car 22 Returns to Service - 28-November-2017

Powell Street car 22, one of the remaining 1887 Ferries and Cliff House cars, returned to service after rebuilding.

A San Francisco Chronicle report by columnists Phil Matier and Andy Ross
states that cable car ridership fell by 25 percent between 2014 and 2016. They
atrribute it to the $7 fare.
"Muni spokesman Paul Rose said inconsistent service and long waiting lines may be
causing people to turn away as well."

Cal Cable Shutdown - 22-September-2017

A sign at the California and Drumm terminal announces the shutdown. September, 2017.

Muni shut down the California Street cable line from 22-September-2017 to
29-September-2017 to replace the gearbox that drives the California Street cable.
The old gearbox dated from the 1982-1984 Great Reconstruction.

This sign stood in the center of the California and Drumm terminal. September, 2017.

New Muni Uniforms - 18-September-2017

Muni operators began to wear new gray uniforms, replacing the old
brown uniforms. Jackets are black or high visibility yellow. The new
uniforms are supposed to be more comfortable in hot or cold conditions.

Because of a planned white supremacist rally at Crissy Field in the
Presidio, Mayor Ed Lee ordered the cable cars to be replaced by buses.
All Muni lines in the Marina and Cow Hollow were shut down. This was
inspired by the violence caused by Neo Nazis, Klansmen and other
degenerates in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The degenerates cancelled Crissy Field, tried to go to Alamo
Square, went briefly to Crissy Field, and somehow wound up in
Pacifica. What did we poor Pacificans do to earn that?

San Francisco's Transportation Octopus - 13-August-2017

San Francisco's Transportation Octopus, the Market Street Railway of 1893, a new book by Emiliano Echeverria, Michael
Dolgushkin and Walter Rice, is now available as an Ebook on a DVD. I'm looking forward to reading it.

I should have posted this in late May, but Muni has surrounded the inner
terminal of the California Street line with a row of stanchions or posts.
The ugly plastic barriers seen in the photo of cars 58 and 51 have finally gone away.

Angels Flight Takes Steps Forward - 01-July-2017

Angels Flight,
which has been shut down since 05-September-2013 is scheduled to resume service by Labor Day.

Recent reports say that the cars and the stations have been repainted in primer white, and
that construction has begun on the safety stairway, which is prerequisite to resume operation.

Isle of Man Horse Tramway Operations Resumed - 24-May-2017

The Isle of Man Horse Tramway resumed limited service after
being suspended since 10-May-2017 because of a respiratory
that affected the horses.

Political Idiocy - 16-May-2017

Some jerk in Georgia decided to try to smear Jon Ossof, the Democratic candidate for an open seat in the
House of Representatives by calling him the "San Francisco Candidate." They wasted money
by shooting actors portraying stereotypical liberals in San Francisco locations saying that
they supported Jon Ossof. The low point of the commercial was a shot of Powell Street Car
One that had been altered to show a huge photo of Jon Ossof and a banner saying "Jon Ossof
(peace symbol) San Francisco Congressman."

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency was taken by surprise. The
SFMTA is sending a cease and desist letter.

Happily, Ossof came in first in the April election and nearly won outright. He
will be in the June 20 runoff with a Republican candidate.

And what the hell is wrong with the peace symbol?

Update - 21-June-2017

Jon Ossof lost the election by two points in a district where he should have lost by
twenty.

Cobblestone Riders - 16-May-2017

A Portuguese skateboarder/engineer designed a skateboard that could
operate on cobblestoned streets. The board has three wheels. The
single wheel at one end is larger, and is meant to run in the channel
of a tramway rail. The board has a brake that the rider can operate
using a lever.

A video taken during a visit in April shows him riding the
board down both the California Street and Hyde Street hills.
This is bad idea and he could have killed himself if he had
encountered a switch or an irregular bit of track.

Please don't do this.

Isle of Man Horse Tramway Operations Suspended - 10-May-2017

The Isle of Man Government Department of Infrastructure released an
announcement:
Isle of Man Railways, with the advice of Ray Cox of Milan Vets, have
made the decision to temporarily cease all horse tram operations for
approximately ten days.

The decision has been taken after a number of the tram horses were
found to be experiencing a respiratory issue.

The infection is relatively common among horses and it is difficult
to determine where it has originated. It is not fatal to horses, but it
can be transmitted between them. Action to contain the infection and to
manage the recovery of the affected horses will be taken in line with
veterinary advice.

The infection cannot be passed to humans.

Mr Cox, Clinical Director of Milan Vets, stated:

‘We understand this is disappointing news for our customers. However,
the welfare of the horses always comes first. We are confident that the
horses will make a full recovery and we will work with the vets to
resume our services as soon as possible.’

Ian Bates, Head of Public Transport Operations, added:

‘We understand this is disappointing news for our customers. However,
the welfare of the horses always comes first. We are confident that the
horses will make a full recovery and we will work with the vets to
resume our services as soon as possible.’

Isle of Man Railways will issue an update regarding the resumption of
horse tram services in the near future.

The other vintage transport systems continue to operate as normal.

Fare Pocketing - 27-April-2017

Two cable car conductor were arrested in April, accused of pocketing cash fares paid by
riders. This has gone on for many years. The San Francisco MTA is looking into ending
cash fares on the cable cars.

Downtown Power Outage - 21-April-2017

A major power outage in downtown San Francisco caused all cable car lines to
hold position.

Around 5pm on 30-March-2017, Powell Street cable car 5 had a collision with an
electric-powered Tesla automobile. Fault has not yet been determined. Buses
ran on Powell Street for a while.

"San Francisco Cable Cars" Documentary Film - 19-March-2017

The marquee of the Balboa Theater announces the showing of Strephon Taylor's new documentary "San Francisco Cable Cars."

We went to San Francisco's Balboa Theater on Sunday to see Strephon Taylor's new documentary "San Francisco Cable Cars."

I enjoyed the documentary, which included beautiful photography of current operations and a good selection of photos and
animations to explain cable traction technology.

One of the people interviewed was from the Mechanics' Institute, which Andrew S Hallidie
helped found. Gripman Val Lupz and historians Emiliano Echeverria and Mike Phipps
were also interviewed.

The documentary held the crowd's interest until the end and people had some good questions for Strephon Taylor after.
I went to the lobby and bought a copy of the video. You can learn more about the movie and buy a copy here:
San Francisco Cable Cars documentary website

The movie was held over for another week at the Balboa and has been touring other theaters in Northern California.

Strephon Taylor in the lobby.

Pedestrian Killed by Cable Car - 19-March-2017

An elderly pedestrian was struck by an inbound Powell-Mason car at Mason and Filbert. He died in the hospital.

Today Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that Angels Flight,
which has been shut down since 05-September-2013 will resume service by Labor Day. A petition organized by the
Angels Flights Friends & Neighbors Society (FANS) Preservation Campaign deserves much of the credit.
Thank you to everyone who signed. Petitions can work.

ACS Infrastructure Development and a team of other transportation and engineering firms have made a deal with
the nonprofit Angels Flight Railway Foundation, which owns the railway, to refurbish it, improve the
mechanism, and operate it for thirty years.

Tampa International Airport announced a new Bay to Bay Nonstop Tampa to San Francisco service
coming from United Airlines. The image features a San Francisco cable car and an open streetcar
operated by the TECO Line Streetcar System in Tampa.

Picture of the Month:
In December, 2003 old Car 28, built for the Ferries and Cliff House Railway in 1887, turns on the motorized turntable in the
barn at Washington and Mason before being put away. A California Street car pulls in behind it. Car 28 would retire the next
month. In April, 2018, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency agreed to donate old car 28 to the Shore Line Trolley
Museum in East Haven, Connecticut as part of a deal that brought two electric streetcars to San Francisco.

On the Ferries and Cliff House Railway page:
A ten and twenty year update on the Ferries and Cliff House Railway, whose lines survived the conversion to electric traction
after the 1906 Earthquake and Fire because of their steep hills. Including some newspaper articles on the company's early years.

Picture of the Month:
A conductor and a gripman pose with a Sutter Street Railway train. I like the angle. (Source: OpenSFHistory / wnp27.4669.jpg).

On the Geary Street Park and Ocean Railway page:
A ten and twenty year update on the Geary Street Park and Ocean Railway, one of the most financially successful companies in the cable railway industry, and one of the small number of
cable railways which survived the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. Including some newspaper articles on the company's early years.

On the Who page: New article about Reuben Morton, founder and superintendant
of the Geary Street Park and Ocean Railway

On the Kitsch page:
a special Muni Pee Chee folder; a 1964 Venture Magazine cover;
a 1950s Chevy Bel Air ad; a postal cover for the 125th anniversary of the
Bridgnorth Cliff Railway;
a 2017 Giants Cable Car Replica; Christmas ornaments from Pier 39;

Added News items about cost of cable car rides and Val Lupiz' new online shop where he is selling his photographs.

Changed toy cable car picture on the
main page to detail view of the right-hand side of toy cable car 514.

Picture of the Month:
A conductor and a gripman pose with a Sutter Street Railway train. I like the angle. (Source: OpenSFHistory / wnp27.4669.jpg).

On the Sutter Street Railway page:
A ten and twenty year update on Henry Casebolt's Sutter Street Railway, the cable car line which proved the technology could be profitable on a
route with no big hills.

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tried to give credit where credit is due. If I have failed and you can correct me, please let
me know immediately. In such cases, I apologize beforehand and I mean no harm.

In general, the contents of The Cable Car Home Page (unless otherwise noted) are the
copyright of Joe Thompson.

Following the links on this site may cause you to leave the Cable Car Home Page
and enter the website of a third party. I have no influence whatsoever over
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responsibility for them.